


Dancing In The Moonlight

by PrettyInSoulPunk



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-04-28 13:38:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14450415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyInSoulPunk/pseuds/PrettyInSoulPunk
Summary: When I passed you in the doorwayWell you took me with a glanceI should have took that last bus homeBut I asked you for a danceOr, the one where Harry accidentally outs their relationship to the world ...... except they're not actually dating.





	Dancing In The Moonlight

Sometimes Harry really hates doing interviews. 

He wouldn't actually admit that publicly, but there are certain ones he loathes. They're not all bad, though. Some of them go really well, and he gets thoughtful questions about the band or their music, and then other times it's all incredibly invasive and personal. It's to be expected he realizes, given the band's incredible success, but that never makes it any easier. He's gotten really good at avoiding certain questions though or answering in such a way that really isn't an answer at all. He especially likes doing that because he's able to move on before the interviewer even realizes what's happened. "Ducking and diving" he likes to call it.

He's in the middle of an interview now, but it's been great so far. It's just he and Niall for this one, and that's always a lot of fun. They've been the best of friends since literally day one at the _X-Factor_ auditions, and having Niall around is like Harry's own personal security blanket. Niall keeps him grounded and makes him feel less anxious, especially when the questions start to go south as they tend to do. Not this time though, which is a refreshing change. The interviewer is sweet and polite and hasn't asked a single personal question. 

Perhaps that's why Harry loosens up a bit too much and almost forgets they're on camera. 

This interview has been a delight so far, and Harry has been shameless. So far he's kissed Niall's cheek, tickled him, called him handsome, pretended to be jealous when the interviewer - Jessica - paid him a compliment, and now he's got his hand on Niall's knee with their fingers laced together. 

Harry adores Niall and loves being affectionate whenever he has the chance. Mostly (and perhaps selfishly) it's because he loves making Niall blush, but he also genuinely loves having this kind of connection with him. Niall reciprocates most of the time, but he's a bit more reserved than Harry is when they're doing any kind of press.

It's pretty common for them to flirt, but they do try to behave themselves in public at least. Being on stage doesn't count, because it's a different level of public. On stage, they're free. They can be whoever they want, act however they want (to a certain extent of course; there are always limits) and it's just an entirely different type of energy. 

"Slightly off-topic," Jessica starts and smiles down at their joined hands, "but I just have to say that I love how comfortable you are with each other, and you're absolutely adorable together." 

"Thank you," Harry beams and squeezes Niall's hand. "I'm a lucky man, what can I say."

Niall is entirely unprepared for _that_ , but he blushes a pretty shade of pink and nudges Harry's shoulder bashfully.

"You don't have to answer this of course, but may I ask how long you two have been together? I mean, if you actually _are_ together?" Jessica amends quickly. 

"Well," Harry smirks and turns to meet Niall's eyes. "It was love at first sight, wasn't it, Pet? So, nearly five years now." 

Niall blushes even harder and covers his mouth to stifle a giggle. 

Harry is on a roll, but it's only because he knows they can just edit the interview a bit later when they review it, so this is all in good fun; something just for them. They've done it before, and editing doesn't usually take long. Since they have to sit through so many hours of press, Harry likes to liven things up a bit now and then. 

"Have you ever seen a face that beautiful?" Harry continues and reaches out to squish Niall's cheeks together. "I mean, how could I not be totally smitten, right?"

"Obviously," Jessica smiles, and they can both practically see the little hearts dancing in her eyes.

" _Harry_ ," Niall groans, because he's horrible at taking compliments, even if Harry is just messing around. Not that Harry doesn't compliment him for real on regular basis, but he's clearly taking the piss now. 

"What, kitten?" Harry leans in close and brushes his nose against Niall's. "Don't be ashamed of our love," he says with as straight of a face as he can manage. 

That's when Niall breaks, and he dissolves into hysterical laughter. 

Jessica looks like she's just watched the ending of her favorite rom-com, and has her hands actually clasped over her heart.

"Too much?" Harry asks Niall and reaches out to rub his back when Niall ends up having a coughing fit. 

"A bit, yeah," Niall agrees and takes a long gulp from one of the water bottles they were given when they arrived.

"Don't worry, pumpkin. We'll just edit those bits out," Harry smiles and reaches out to pat Niall's cheek affectionately.

"Um," Jessica speaks up, her eyes going wide. "You realize this is _live_ right? We've been broadcasting this on the radio, and the video will be up on YouTube later." 

To his extreme credit, Harry doesn't miss a beat. 

"Well, I suppose it had to come out sometime, right, love?" Harry grins and rests a hand on Niall's knee, squeezing it gently.

"No time like the present," Niall nods, sounding a lot braver than he feels as he leans over to plant a kiss right on Harry's surprised lips.

Jessica squeaks and claps excitedly, and Harry almost falls out of his chair.

~*~

It takes approximately eight minutes for the interview to go viral. 

Their phones are blowing up, management is practically up their asses, and there is suddenly a myriad of paperwork for them to sign. Harry tries explaining that they had just been messing around, but that doesn't go over well at all. 

"I really fucked up this time, didn't I?" Harry asks when he and Niall finally have a moment alone. 

On the bright side, the news has been extremely well received so far. Fans have flooded all of their social media platforms with their support, and its been incredibly touching. Not all reactions have been positive, though. They've gotten their fair share of disgusted complaints, but they've ignored those entirely. They don't want anything to do with anyone who would be so grossly discriminatory. 

Niall reaches out and squeezes Harry's shoulder. "It's not all on you, Haz. We had every opportunity to do some damage control, but I think that could have been even worse." 

"How so?" Harry is confused, but he's at least grateful that Niall isn't mad at him. 

"Well if we tried to pass it off as a joke, you know a lot of people could take it the wrong way. Then we would look like a pair of homophobic twats, which we definitely aren't. So I think we did the right thing for now, and we can work the rest out later," Niall explains, and scoots closer so he can hug Harry properly.

"Well look at you being the perfect fake boyfriend," Harry smiles snuggles into Niall's embrace. 

This isn't going to be easy to deal with, but at least they're in it together. 

"About that," Niall says when they pull apart. "How long are we going to roll with it? We need to really give that some thought because we've still got a few more weeks left of tour. We'll also have to figure out how we'll handle being on stage together since the fans are going to expect a lot more from us than they usually do."

"Like what?" Harry's stomach sinks. Just what they need, more expectations. 

"Well it's not like they're expecting us to shag on stage, but I'm sure they'll be hoping for some kissing, at least. Or some touching, maybe." 

A smile spreads across Harry's face. "So basically, do what we always do but throw in the occasional snog?"

Niall blushes all the way to the tips of his ears. "Yeah, something like that."

Harry could get _very_ used to this idea. "I think that sounds reasonable," he nods. "How should we handle any future press? You know it's all anyone will talk about, so we should probably make sure we're on the same page regarding all the fine details," Harry says, and wraps his arm back around Niall's shoulder.

"Yeah, I reckon you're right." Niall leans into Harry's touch and they sit quietly for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Haz?" Niall asks a few minutes later and turns to face Harry. "What happens when we fake a breakup? You know that's going to be bloody awful, and it will be ten times worse than this," he finishes and rests his head on Harry's shoulder. 

"That's easy," Harry leans down to kiss the top of Niall's head, "we won't break up. We'll just live happily ever after then, won't we?" 

Niall knows that's not going to be the case, but he accepts Harry's answer for now. They've got to deal with everything one step at a time, so there's no use in letting themselves get too overwhelmed yet. 

~*~

Three days later, they're on the _Late Late Show_ , and of course their 'relationship' is the first thing James wants to discuss. It's especially infuriating because he knows the truth of their situation and Harry wants to strangle him a little.

"My my, this _is_ a surprise, boys!" James starts, and Harry can already feel his dinner churning in his stomach. He adores James, but he knows this interview is going to be a nightmare at best. 

"So tell us how you got together! Everyone wants to know, right?" James turns to his audience, who shrieks loudly. 

Luckily, they are prepared for this question even if James really shouldn't be asking it. They know he's just doing his job though since of course, they can no longer go even a single interview without their relationship status being mentioned. 

Harry starts to launch into the story, but Niall beats him to it.

"It was as easy as breathing," he starts, a shy smile spreading across his face as he reaches out to squeeze Harry's shoulder. It's a silent plea of _please don't kill me for this_ , but Niall figures he hasn't really got much to lose. 

"We met at the _X-Factor_ auditions, and we got on really well from the start. Of course I already had a massive crush on him within like, an hour," Niall admits, and he can already feel the heat creeping into his cheeks. "He was just so charming and funny that it was impossible not to fall for him." Niall sneaks a glance over at Harry, who stares back in obvious shock.

"Go on then," James urges Niall, motioning for him to continue. 

"We had barely known each other a few weeks, and I was already dragging him back to Mullingar with me to meet my family. They already knew all about him, but my parents wanted to meet the boy who had stolen my heart." The words are rolling off of Niall's tongue before he has any chance to censor himself. 

Harry gasps quietly and reaches down to grip Niall's hand.

Liam and Louis haven't made a single peep, but they're clutching onto one another with the sappiest expressions on their faces.

"I remember this!" James squeals and Harry suddenly looks panicked. "Harold told me all about that glorious holiday he spent in Mullingar with the cute Irish boy, but I certainly didn't get many details," he winks at both of them and Harry looks marginally relieved. James only knows his version of the story, and Harry is happy he hasn't shared any of it. 

"So you took Harry back to Ireland with you, and that's when you fell in love?" James asks and leans forward so he can soak up every single detail. 

"We were only sixteen," Niall laughs but he squeezes Harry's hand firmly. "I don't think either of us knew it was love yet, but - "

"I knew," Harry interrupts and looks up at Niall with watery eyes. "I remember waking up each morning to your sweet face, and thinking there was no other way I'd rather start the day. You would sing me to sleep sometimes too and," he bites his lip, unsure if he should continue. 

"And?" Niall slides even closer and presses his knee against Harry's.

"And, I always pretended to be asleep when you kissed me."

The entire room, Niall included, all gasp collectively. 

"You _kissed_ him?" James is practically vibrating in his seat, and Liam and Louis are frozen in delighted surprise. 

"Well not proper snogging," Niall clarifies, and he can feel his cheeks flaming again. "I would kiss his forehead or his shoulder because I thought he was asleep. And because he was so bloody cute." Niall pinches the bridge of his nose and pauses for a breath. He knows he's saying too much, but he can't seem to stop himself. "I just wanted to indulge in my crush a bit, y'know? I didn't think I'd ever be busted for it," he adds, elbowing Harry playfully. 

"Sorry," Harry grins, not looking the least bit sorry at all. 

"Yeah, right," Niall scoffs, but his expression is fond.

"So, Harold," James interjects and gives Harry his undivided attention. "You were saying?"

"Oh, right," Harry nods. "The thing everyone needs to know about Niall is that once he's a part of your life, he absolutely consumes it in the best way. He's everywhere. You can't get rid of him, not that you'd ever want to," he says and reaches up to rub Niall's cheek affectionately. 

"Before you know it, Niall is all you can think about. His laugh, his smile, his hugs, his _everything_ ," Harry continues. "There was a moment, though," Harry turns his entire body towards Niall, because he's no longer addressing James. As far as he's concerned, Niall is the only person in the room.

"Yeah?" Niall asks and reaches out to hold both of Harry's hands in his own.

"Yeah," Harry nods. "I realize that being in love when you're sixteen is a bit of a different feeling than being in love when you're twenty-one, but I still knew even then. It was just before I was supposed to board my flight back home, and we couldn't seem to leave each other. You had even gotten a special pass so you could see me off at the gate," he adds, as a look of recognition crosses Niall's face.

 _"When I passed you in the doorway, well you took me with a glance. I should have took that last bus home, but I asked you for a dance,"_ Niall sings softly and then leans in to brush his lips against Harry's cheek. 

The audience erupts in a chorus of aww's and cheering, and Harry beams at them before turning back to Niall. 

"We were sharing your earbuds, remember? They had just started boarding my flight when the song came on. Then suddenly, you grabbed my hands and asked me to dance with you right there in the airport," Harry laughs. It wasn't quite moonlight, but the sentiment was the same." 

"I was desperate," Niall admits, recalling the memory. "I didn't want you to leave, because I knew we wouldn't be seeing each other for at least a month." 

"You weren't the only one," Harry laughs "because I ended up missing my flight on purpose."

"But you got to spend another week with me," Niall reminds him, and reaches down to squeeze Harry's knee. 

"That's when I knew," Harry says, smiling brightly. The idea of leaving you was tearing me up inside, and I had never felt anything like that before. We were only sixteen, but I knew even then that it was love," he finishes and looks down at his lap. 

"And is it still?" Niall asks, because he needs to know.

"Always," Harry looks up and their eyes meet again. "Now more than ever before."

"If you don't kiss him," James cuts in, while reaching out to nudge Niall's knee, "then I will. Someone needs to take advantage of this moment, and you know I'm always up for a good snog," he says and turns to laugh with the audience.

"Back off, Cordo," Niall teases and takes Harry's face into his hands. The audience goes wild, but Niall tunes everything out. All he can focus on is Harry as he pulls him in for a kiss. It's slow, and he can feel Harry's lips shaking against his, but it's perfect. 

They're on national TV, and Niall is distantly aware of the fact that this will create even more of a stir but he can't bring himself to care. He's _kissing_ Harry like he's always dreamed of doing, but Harry is actually kissing him back.

When they pull apart finally, the entire crowd explodes with even more cheers. Harry and Niall hardly notice though, because they only have eyes for each other. 

~*~

"That wasn't fake," is the first thing Harry says when they're back in the green room. 

Liam and Louis decided to hang out with James for a while, but Harry suspects they just wanted to give he and Niall some privacy. The studio audience may not have known what was happening, but everyone else sure did. It was written all over their faces.

"No," Niall shakes his head and begins pacing the room nervously, "it wasn't." Now that the show is over, the reality of everything that just went down is finally sinking in. His heart is hammering in his chest, and his knees feel like they might give out. 

"Hey," Harry reaches for Niall and steers him toward the couch, "we should talk." 

"Okay." Niall takes a deep breath and braces himself for the worst. 

"I wasn't faking it either," Harry dives right in and reaches out to hold Niall's hands. "Everything I've said this entire time has been the honest truth. I had a crush on you straight away, but Mullingar was definitely when I knew I was falling hard." 

"Seriously?" Niall laughs, and he can feel the tension slowly draining away. "So we were both mad for each other, and never did a thing about it? What bloody idiots we were," he says, shaking his head in disbelief. 

"You were a very cute idiot," Harry smiles and slides closer. 

"No," Niall shakes his head again. "I was awkward at best. _You_ were cute. All pretty eyes, fluffy curls and those dimples," he adds, before brushing his lips against Harry's cheek. 

"Hey now, you can't just compliment me and insult yourself in the same sentence, Ni," Harry says and swats Niall's shoulder playfully. "You have no idea how much I fancied that cheeky blond lad, with his gorgeous blue eyes, infectious laugh, and a heart of gold. And you know what?" Harry continues without waiting for a response, "I am still just as mad for him today as I was five years ago. So don't you - "

Harry's rant is cut off by Niall's mouth pressing softly against his own, and his hands settling on Harry's waist. Harry's stomach flutters when their lips touch, and then Niall's tongue is sliding into his mouth which drives every single coherent thought right out of his head. Everything is _Niall Niall Niall_ , and nothing hurts.

It's several minutes before they break apart, and then Harry is curling into the solid warmth of Niall's arms. "So do we have to fake break up and then get together for real, or how exactly does that work?" Harry asks, and kisses Niall's shoulder.

"How about we forget all the fake nonsense and just be together? Half the world already thinks we are, and I'm pretty sure the lads and James have already sorted it out as well," Niall says and wraps his arms tightly around Harry. 

"God, I can't imagine what they're talking about right now," Harry laughs. "We weren't subtle though, so I'm sure they caught on."

"We can always fill in the gaps for them later since I'm sure there will be questions," Niall adds.

"So does this mean I finally have a ridiculously handsome Irish boyfriend?" Harry asks, smiling sweetly. 

"For as long as you'll have him," Niall nods and brushes his lips softly against Harry's. 

" _Forever_ ," Harry beams, "because spending those first few weeks together on holiday and getting to know each other made me realize that I could already see myself building a life with you. I know we're still too young for that, but it's something I'd like to work towards someday. If you'd want that, I mean," Harry finishes and gives Niall a hopeful smile. 

"There's nothing I want more if I'm honest," Niall says and leans in for another kiss. It's just a slow, sweet drag of their mouths but it still leaves him breathless. 

"You know what else _I_ want?" Harry smirks while crawling onto Niall's lap and straddling his hips. He giggles at Niall's surprised gasp, and then he's leaning in to kiss and nip at Niall's neck. 

"I think I've got a pretty good idea," Niall pants, and slides his hands up Harry's thighs, "but you might want to show me just in case."

"As much as I _really_ hate to interrupt this," comes James' amused voice from somewhere overhead, "I should probably remind you that there are cameras and microphones all over the room." 

"I hate you all," Harry flips off what he thinks might be one of the cameras and then he leans in to whisper against Niall's ear. "To be continued?"

"The car is probably waiting for us downstairs already," Niall winks and reaches around to give Harry's ass an exaggerated squeeze. 

"Lead the way."

~*~

The buzz surrounding their relationship eventually dies down after a few weeks, and they finally manage to obtain some semblance of normalcy again. The band has also mutually decided that they could use a long break now that they've finished their tour and put out a new album. They just have one last performance on the _X-Factor_ before they retire their microphones for a while.

"Have you got any plans for the break?" Niall asks Harry one afternoon when they're stretched out on Harry's ridiculously big bed. It's the first major purchase he ever made when his paychecks started rolling in, and Niall loves it. 

"I haven't thought about it, really. Maybe do some writing? Traveling, maybe? I haven't a clue yet. How about you?" Harry asks, and nuzzles his face against Niall's neck.

"I thought I might take a backpacking trip, actually. There are so many countries that I'd like to see more of, apart from their airports," Niall laughs and tilts Harry's face up. "Would you like to come with me?"

Harry wrinkles his nose. "Is that anything like camping? We don't have to sleep outdoors, do we? Because I'd like to point out that our last camping excursion was less than pleasant," Harry reminds him. 

"You're such a princess," Niall laughs and plants a soft kiss on Harry's lips. "No, we don't, although it would be cheaper if we camped a few nights, here and there."

"Is money an issue?" Harry asks seriously. It's not a subject they've ever properly discussed, but Harry fees terrible for assuming that Niall can afford all the same things that he can. "I'd be happy to pay for the hotels," he suggests and rests his head on the pillow next to Niall's face. 

Niall has never been more in love with him than he is right now. 

"Oh, love," he cradles Harry's cheek gently, "it's all just part of the experience, y'know? Exploring the sights, hiking the trails, being one with nature and that," he leans forward to kiss Harry's nose. "We don't actually have to camp much, though. I'm sure we can find a balance between the outdoors and the Ritz Carlton."

"You're ridiculous," Harry smiles, "but that sounds pretty nice, actually. Besides, it will be fun having you all to myself and not having to worry about the media if we avoid fancy places."

"You should know by now that the paps still manage to find us somehow," Niall groans. "But I really don't care, honestly. If they want to photograph me rubbing sun cream all over myself, they can have at it."

"As long as they don't catch us rubbing anything _else_ , I suppose we're good then," Harry is amused by his own joke, even though there is a lot of truth to it. 

"Now you see why camping is ideal," Niall taps Harry's nose playfully. "Think about it. Just the two of us under the stars, all the fresh air, miles away from anyone else - " 

Harry cuts him off with a soft, lingering kiss. "Yes," he whispers against Niall's mouth and drags his fingertips gently down the sides of his face. The barest hint of scruff is just starting to form there, and it's ridiculously sexy.

"Yes to what exactly?" Niall asks, slightly confused.

"To _everything_. I want to go backpacking with you, I want to camp out and eat smores, and give you sticky kisses, and see the world together in ways that we've never gotten to do before."

"Yeah?" Niall smiles fondly, "You're not going to regret this, are you? Because most days we probably won't get anywhere near a Starbucks, and there won't always be WiFi or even a decent phone signal the higher up we go," Niall finishes because he wants to make sure Harry knows what he's getting himself into.

"I don't need any of those things," Harry leans in close and rubs their noses together, "all I need is you."

~*~

As it turns out, Harry is enjoying the camping part a lot more than he thought he would, and it's Niall who caves and splurges on a hotel room only two nights into their trip. He tells Harry it's because it's supposed to rain all night, but Harry knows the real reason.

Having sex in a tent is exactly as horrible as it sounds.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated, and you can come talk Narry to me over **[here](http://prettyinsoulpunk.tumblr.com/)** :D


End file.
